|

GBP/JPY plunges to 5-week lows as Yen continues to soar

Yen continues to soar across the board, with the GBP/JPY cross reversing all of its post-BOJ recovery to 133.26 and extended its bearish move for the fifth consecutive session.

The BOJ's decision to leave interest rates unchanged at -0.1% seems to have disappointed few market participants expecting the central bank to take rates further into negative territory. The disappointment seems to have forced investors to unwind bearish Yen bets and is exerting intense selling pressure around the GBP/JPY cross.

Meanwhile, a softer tone around the GBP/USD major provided little incentive for bulls and the cross tumbled to the lowest level since August 19. 

Next in focus would be the Fed monetary policy decision, which would determine further demand for both the Japanese Yen and the British Pound, eventually providing fresh impetus for GBP/JPY traders. 

Technical levels to watch

From current levels, 130.50-60 area seems to act as immediate support, which if broken would turn the cross vulnerable to break below 130.00 psychological mark support and head towards testing its next major support near 129.20 area.

On the flip side, recovery back above 131.00 handle, leading to a subsequent move above 131.30 resistance, might trigger a near-term short-covering bounce towards 132.00 round figure mark.

 TREND INDEXOB/OS INDEXVOLATILY INDEX
15MBullishNeutralLow
1HStrongly BearishNeutralHigh
4HSlightly BullishOverboughtShrinking
1DBearishNeutralShrinking
1WBullishNeutralLow

Author

Haresh Menghani

Haresh Menghani is a detail-oriented professional with 10+ years of extensive experience in analysing the global financial markets.

More from Haresh Menghani
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD flirts with weekly lows near 1.1770

EUR/USD now comes under further selling pressure, breaking below the 1.1800 support to challenge the area of weekly throughs near 1.1770 on Thursday. The pair’s decline comes in response to marked gains in the US Dollar amid steady geopolitical tensions. Ealier in the day, the ECB’s Lagarde delivered cautious remarks, although the currency remained apathetic.

GBP/USD threatens the 200-day SMA near 1.3440

GBP/USD rapidly leaves behind Wednesday’s strong advance, coming under heavy pressure and retesting the 1.3440 zone, where the critical 200-day SMA is located. Cable’s deep pullback follows the strong gains in the Greenback, while investors continue to pencil in a potential BoE rate cut in March.

Gold trims gains, slips back to around $5,170

Gold is now facing some downside pressure, hovering around the $5,170 region on Thursday. The yellow metal surrenders part of its earlier gains on the back of the resurgence of the buying interest in the Greenback. In the meantime, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to limit the downside potential for now.

Stellar: Relief bounce fades as bearish undertone persists

Stellar is trading around $0.16 at the time of writing on Thursday after rebounding more than 8% in the previous day. Derivatives data paints a negative picture as XLM’s short bets hit a monthly high while Open Interest continues to decline.

Changing the game: International implications of recent tariff developments

The Supreme Court ruling on International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs provides limited relief for the rest of the world, with weighted average tariff rates modestly lower.

Bitcoin steadies as traders eye US–Iran talks

Bitcoin (BTC) price is stabilizing around $68,000 at the time of writing on Thursday after a 6.2% relief rally the previous day amid a broader downward trend.